GARETH Cliff has been cleared of hate speech.
The complaint stemmed from an interview Cliff conducted with young KZN social activist Angela Larkan, who started a humanitarian project when she was 22.
Cliff commented that “girls of 22 usually do nothing but lie on their backs with their legs open”.
His comments on September 8 were judged by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BBCSA) to be completely free of hate speech and not sexist.
The BCCSA findings state that: “The presenter was simply making a hyperbolic and seemingly off-the-cuff generalisation aimed at 22-year-olds, based on a stereotype of that age group’s preoccupation with sex and alcohol.
“To interpret the presenter’s verbal image of young people engaged in sexual activity [or drinking] as constituting hate speech would be a gross overreaction.”
Cliff responded: “Thank goodness for the BCCSA …”
